Stevens County Fire Chief Mike Bucy Guest Speaker

Our guest speaker was Mike Bucy, Fire Chief at Stevens County Fire Protection District #1 and fellow Deer Park Rotarian. District #1 serves Southern Stevens County and covers communities of Clayton, Deer Lake, Ford, Loon Lake, Suncrest, Tum Tum, Williams Valley and Springdale. It is staffed by a combination of paid and volunteer personnel. They responded to 1400 calls last year, up from 1100 in 2013; 70% a result of medical/trauma accidents with a majority being ATV accidents. They partner with Life Flight and are helped by “Tender Operators”, volunteers who take vitals, drive water tanks and free up regular firefighters. The district is largely rural-wildland that includes private forestland. Chief Bucy is very proud of a special wildland truck that they built themselves at a fraction of the cost to buy one like it new and the new Fire Stations at Loon Lake and Suncrest. Along with their duties on the job, they work with kids, train military and provide other community services. Mike finished up by answering questions and giving us all important advice on how to protect our homes and communities from fires.